ABSTRACT
The aim of this retrospective, cross-sectional study was to compare the 1977 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards to determine the nutritional status of children attending the pediatric outpatient clinic at a university hospital in Alagoas, Brazil. We reviewed 252 hospital charts of children younger than 24 months and determined the height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height using the two standards. The sample was of low socioeconomic level and exclusively or predominantly breastfed children. TheZ-scores for both standards indicated that the children in this sample were healthy, but the WHO standard was more sensitive for the detection of growth limitations in the first 6 months of life.
Subject(s)
Nutritional Status , Brazil , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
O objetivo deste estudo retrospectivo e transversal foi comparar a avaliação nutricional de crianças atendidas no ambulatório de puericultura do Hospital Universitário em Alagoas, Brasil, utilizando as curvas de crescimento de referência do National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) de 1977 e o padrão da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) de 2006. Foram analisados 252 prontuários de crianças menores de 24 meses e determinados comprimento para idade, peso para idade e peso para comprimento utilizando as duas curvas. A população era de baixo nível socioeconômico e recebia amamentação exclusiva ou predominante. Os escores Z para ambas as curvas indicaram que as crianças na amostra eram eutróficas, mas as curvas da OMS foram mais sensíveis para detectar desvios de crescimento nos primeiros 6 meses de vida.
The aim of this retrospective, cross-sectional study was to compare the 1977 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards to determine the nutritional status of children attending the pediatric outpatient clinic at a university hospital in Alagoas, Brazil. We reviewed 252 hospital charts of children younger than 24 months and determined the height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height using the two standards. The sample was of low socioeconomic level and exclusively or predominantly breastfed children. TheZ-scores for both standards indicated that the children in this sample were healthy, but the WHO standard was more sensitive for the detection of growth limitations in the first 6 months of life.